The Las Vegas Raiders moved back into the fourth round to select a rookie quarterback to join starter Jimmy Garoppolo.
Vegas picked Purdue signal-caller Aidan O’Connell with the No. 135 overall selection in the 2023 NFL Draft.
The Raiders sent picks 144 and 214 overall to New England to draft O'Connell.
A pure pocket passer, O'Connell owns excellent accuracy and timing, completing 66.7% of his passes with Purdue. He set a single-season school record with a 71.6% completion rate in 2021.
In 33 games, including 27 starts, for the Boilermakers, the former walk-on generated 9,219 passing yards with 65 touchdowns and 30 interceptions. He was named second-team All-Big Ten in back-to-back seasons.
O'Connell is lean and lacks great velocity, but at 6-foot-3, he combines good size with smart reads, outstanding accuracy and excellent ball placement between the hashes. He isn't going to win outside the pocket, but he can be a distributor within the offense.
The 24-year-old fits well with the profile of a McDaniels signal-caller, with a load of experience, good pocket delivery, the ability to get through progressions and a willingness to get to his check-downs.
O'Connell joins Jimmy G and veteran Brian Hoyer in the Raiders QB room. The former Boilermaker will be able to grow in that setting as a capable backup with upside in McDaniels' offense.
